grey myrtle / cinnamon myrtle

Photo: John Moss — Public domain · source

Survives zone 8 through 9

Harvest calendar

Ripens: Leaves year-round

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

A LEAF crop — warm cinnamon-anise aroma, used as a spice. ⚠ Fruit is a dry capsule, not eaten. Care: Winter protection — mulch, fleece, or a warm wall.

Hardiness

Zone 8–9

Habit

Tree

Edible part

Leaf

Ripens

Leaves year-round

Mature size

Evergreen shrub/tree 5–10 m; hardier than lemon myrtle

Light

Full sun to partial

Soil pH

5.5–7.0 (acid–neutral; dislikes chalk)

Environment

Subtropical rainforest margin

Native range

Subtropical and warm-temperate rainforest margins of eastern Australia, from south-east Queensland through coastal New South Wales

Status

Both wild and cultivated

Years to fruit

2–3 yrs (leaf harvest)

Growth speed

Slow to moderate

Spacing

400 cm (157 in) apart — about 16 m² (172 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Opposite, oval to elliptical, 4–7 cm long, tapering to a fine point — dark glossy green above, paler beneath, gland-dotted and strongly cinnamon-scented when crushed.

Root system

Fibrous and moderately deep, without aggressive surface roots; safe near paving and beds, which is part of why it is planted as a street and screen tree in Australia.

Fruit description

Not the crop — this is a leaf spice. The flowers are followed by tiny dry capsules a few millimetres across, holding the persistent calyx, which are of no culinary use. Harvest is the aromatic leaf, which yields 0.5–2.2% essential oil by fresh weight; note that the species occurs as several chemotypes (elemicin, isoelemicin, methyleugenol and isoeugenol forms), so aroma varies markedly between plants.

Propagation

Cuttings are the favoured method and are needed to hold a chemotype — take about 15 cm of new growth in spring, since longer cuttings build a better root system. Seed is viable but gives variable aroma.

Pollination

Self-fertile

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.